Healthy Relationships Support Group

No relationship is perfect. A long-term relationship requires constant effort to understand each other, fix misunderstandings, solve problems and continue to grow as both individuals change and evolve. How we deal with our misunderstandings is the focus of this community. Join us to find support, get advice, and share your experience with your relationship.

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/ Healthy Relationships Support Group

Define HEALTHY Relationship

koolman
koolman
For me, it's one where:

Laughter, rather than tears and anger, rules the day!
There's good communication, where we talk and then listen, where we understand each other.
There's mutual respect.
There's mutual admiration.
We recognize where we fill each other's gaps.
There's warmth.
We make time to exercise together.
We make time to relax together.
Basically, where there's positivity.
Shine14
Shine14
Mutual agreement on terms of partnership and realistic expecations
stillbitterjaded
stillbitterjaded
Anything I'm not involved in.
DayDreaminDreamer
DayDreaminDreamer
Healthy interdependence. As simple as that.
deleted_user
deleted_user
Oh, if I only could get this one right! Mutual interest in each other, mutual respect, on the same page with desires in life and enjoying each other company. Don't ask me how to maintain that 2-3 years down the road....
DayDreaminDreamer
DayDreaminDreamer
Oh oh wait! I found recipe! Here it is the list of ingredients:

1 cup of romance
1 pinch of humour
2 spoonfuls of joy
1 lb of compatibility
3 tablespoons of trust
1 cup of respect
1/2 lb of sharing
1 zest of tenderness
and 3/4 cup of patience...

Tried it, works for me.
JustASimpleGuy
JustASimpleGuy
Love & understanding of, and respect & compassion for, self. If we have this, everything else is negotiable and truly unimportant in all our relationships, both romantic and otherwise.
Aronia
Aronia
I think you know it is good when you want to come home to that person because you feel happy and safe and challenged on regular basis.
deleted_user
deleted_user
I wish I could print this page to hand it to someone I care about... this is perfect... Love it.
koolman
koolman
Thanks for the comments!

I'd like to add: One where I can RELAX with the person without fear of being chastised, criticized, censored or otherwise had the life suffocated out of me.

I tend to attract relationships like that, even in my male friendships, and I find it quite irritating.

We don't have to always agree, but don't hang on every word I say, trying to control me, trying to micromanage my every thought, trying to mold me into your perfect clone, because I'm not, and I'll extend you the same courtesy!
JustASimpleGuy
JustASimpleGuy
"One where I can RELAX with the person without fear of being chastised, criticized, censored or otherwise had the life suffocated out of me."

Don't worry about that stuff. It says nothing about you and everything about them. Unless you give power to your fear it's not real. They can't put you into the boxes defined by their criticism, chastising, censoring. Only you can if you believe it. Don't believe it.

Have compassion for them. They are sleeping and living in a dream. A trap of their own making. You needn't be drawn into it and at the same time you don't have to judge them.